Making the Gaza Cease-Fire Last

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

August 6, 2014

In the first good news in a long time, a 72-hour cease-fire appeared to be holding on Wednesday as Israelis and Palestinians tallied what was lost, and gained, during the latest war over the desperate Gaza Strip.

It was easiest to count the losses. More than 1,800 Palestinians, a majority of them noncombatants, and 67 Israelis have been killed. United Nations officials said 408 Palestinian children were killed and 2,502 injured. The physical damage in Gaza is estimated at $6 billion.

There are important but less tangible costs: the way ordinary Israelis have had to live in fear of rocket attacks; increasingly bitter strains on Israel’s relations with the United States; international criticism of Israel — and the outrage of anti-Semitic protests and violence in Europe. There seems to be little room left in Israeli politics for those who would end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and create an independent Palestinian state.

Both sides are tallying the blame. In too many cases, Israel launched weapons that hit schools and shelters and failed to adequately protect Palestinian citizens. But Hamas knowingly targeted Israeli civilian centers in violation of any civilized standard and launched weapons from populated areas in what looks like a deliberate effort to draw Israeli fire on innocents.

Both sides are claiming victory, Israel for wiping out 32 underground tunnels that Hamas intended for attacks on Israel, and Hamas for still being alive. In a mockery of its claim to have a political arm independent of its armed wing, political officials of Hamas were crowing about its determination to regroup and attack again.

The bottom line is that neither side has achieved its main goal of destroying the other. Israel is not going away. But neither are the Palestinians, and the extremists among them will always find a place and an audience if there is no hope and no responsible moderate leaders to point the way to a better future.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no longer a narrowly defined problem that can be endured, contained or even managed. To an unusual degree, the Middle East is unsettled — from refugee flows, the spread of Sunni militants between Syria and Iraq, the Sunni-Shiite rivalry and even intra-Sunni divisions. Sunni forces in Iraq are attacking Kurdish and Christian populations. There is extremism and instability everywhere in the region.

That is why it is so important that indirect talks between Israelis and Palestinians in Cairo this week, mediated by Egypt, lay the ground for something bigger and more durable than one cease-fire. Certain conditions are clear. Rocket attacks into Israel by Hamas and other extremist groups must stop, along with other terrorist attacks. So does the smuggling of weapons into Gaza and the production of a new supply of rockets. There will need to be an international donors’ conference to rebuild Gaza, but with assurances that Hamas will not divert money for civilian projects into rockets and tunnels. Otherwise, there is little chance that Israel would end the blockade that has kept Gazans confined to the strip, and deprived them of imports, exports and jobs.

Hamas wants Israel to release prisoners. The Palestinian Authority, which recognizes Israel, wants a role in controlling the border crossings between Israel and Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, has signaled an eagerness to have the authority extend its reach to Gaza. But it cannot just be a policeman. If any agreements come out of Cairo, they must be designed to strengthen the authority and its president, Mahmoud Abbas, by managing whatever funds are donated to Gaza. It may be necessary to have Hamas in Cairo, but the group offers Palestinians nothing except nihilism and endless suffering.

We always wish a tragedy like this will finally create a real push for a permanent peace, but, right now, keeping this fragile peace is a big enough goal.